*Due to ongoing construction, this location is currently off limits to collecting without permission.*
Click on pictures if they look blury.
Natural rainbow citrine side by side with smoky quartz.
Top to bottom: Rainbow citrine, citrine quartz mix, white quartz, and light smoky quartz all together.
Showing the same rainbow cluster from the other side.
Smoky quartz geode with yellow striped calcite crystals.
Here's a calcite geode with bright citrine and some light smoky crystals towards the bottom.
Yellow calcite with small smoky quartz crystals.
Top lid section of a smoky and calcite geode I was successfully able to chissel out from a boulder. The whole geode is the size of a softball and filled with smoky and calcite clusters like the one above.
Here's the directions to the spot:
From Salt Lake drive east to Park City then follow signs East towards Heber. Look for Mayflower exit 8. Continue up over the bridge towards Jordanelle resavoir then turn left onto the road running parallel with 40. Continue less then a mile up the road and you will arrive.It will be easiest to punch this location into your GPS when your getting close. Search for Wasatch County Fire Protection. This will bring you right up where you can see the massive pile of rock just up the road.
Pass the Jordanelle fire station on your right and continue straight up the well maintained dirt road for about 150 yards until you reach an open gate on your right side. Park here.
There appears to have been no recent activity at this spot since early 2015 when I first visited. There is nothing posted about no trespassing and the area seems open to recreational activity, just be safe and respectful so we can keep this spot open.
*****Update 10/29/16*****
Light activity at the top of the pile but still totally open to collecting.
At the entrance to the fill site you will notice a few dozen white boulders piled up near the open gate. Explore these boulders carefully. This is where I'm finding most of the smoky quartz, orange/yellow calcite, and rainbow citrine. Keep an eye out for open geode pockets in the rock where you can see crystals sticking out.
It is possible to extract these crystals pockets without damanging them, but it is far more rewarding to split the boulders into pieces, revealing beautiful un-weathered specimens from within the rock. Bring heavy hammers for best results.
Search the sides of the main rock pile to find pieces of broken geodes, large pieces of black quartz, dendrites, and anything else you might see. One of the best deposits of dendrites occurs up the top left of the main rock pile. Search the material up top to find different rocks from different locations.
Example of dendrites and swirls.
What I think are delicate calcite crystals in a geode.
Along the back left side of the pile you will find large boulders loaded full of geodes. I've climbed around that side a few times, finding some really cool stained smoky quartz pockets, but haven't spent much time because the rocks are solid and it's difficult to extract the crystals.
I'm happy to share this new rockhounding spot with everybody and hope you all find something outstanding. Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!
